National Art Education Association
Zinesters in the Classroom: Using Zines to Teach about Postmodernism and the
Communication of Ideas
Author(s): Kristin G. Congdon and Doug Blandy
Source: Art Education, Vol. 56, No. 3 (May, 2003), pp. 44-52
Published by: National Art Education Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3194053
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MODERNiSM
P44ODELRN
Using
Zines
Teach
about
and
tyt
to
Postmodern
of Ideas
Communicatio
the
G.
BY KRISTIN
t
Z.^Mew
CONGDON
AND
MAY 2003
DOUG
BLANDY
arenon-commercial, popularand mass culture,the role of
["zeens"]
small circula~-l~,'~non-professional,
tion "Do-it-Yourself'(DiY) magazines.'
In 1996,we started using zines as an
assignment in our universityclassrooms.
Students in such varied classes as
Aesthetics, Theoryand Criticismof the
VisualArt,Artand HumanValues,and
Zines and DiYDemocracy have made
zines. In these courses students have
written, cut and pasted, folded, copied,
and distributedhundredsof zines.
They have explored the history
of zines, the relationshipof zines to
ART EDUCATION/
m
1SM
zines in radicaland utopic thought,zine
design, and the relationshipof zines to
art. Manyof our students' zines have
been widely distributedthroughthe
mail, in local zine outlets, and by hand.
Wehavefoundthatcreatingand
distributingzines is a successful pedagogical strategyfor encouragingstudentsto
participatein postmoder discourse.Zines
also permitstudentsto breakwiththe
stricturesof writingformalpapersbased
on the guidelinesof the American
PsychologicalAssociation(APA)or
THE ARTIS4
THE ARTIST
1-6.Modernism/Postmodernism,
Figures
2002.
zinebyChristopher
Arnold,
PI4ODERNISM
MODERNISM
MODERNISM
;
t'.
tI
i
*-
/, aA
.
1:in.
viva
^le
Ci_
Ptf
-
ModemLanguageAssociation(MLA).
As such, zines encouragestudentsto link
imagesandtext towardsthe expressionof
ideas in a free-formandintuitivemanner.
Throughourteachingwe havediscovered
thatfor manyof ourstudents,beinga
zinestercomes quitenaturally.Whilethey
maynot havebeen previouslyawareof
zines,they intuitivelyunderstandthe
unconventional,insurgent,and
spontaneousstructurethatcharacterizes
them.Thismaybe due to zines'close
associationwithpopularcultureandacts
of appropriation.
Ourpurposein this articleis to discuss
the historyandcontext of zines. Wewill
considerthe ways in whichzines can be
used to assist studentsin understanding
postmodernism.Zinesas a strategyfor
encouragingthe developmentand
distributionof ideas andsocial critique
throughimagesandtext will be considered.Allof the examplesand illustrations
thataccompanythisarticleare drawn
fromourown classrooms.Whileour
discussionfocuses on ouruse of zines in
the context of highereducation,we
believethatzines can be successfully
used with kindergartners
to olderadults.
Outsideof school, middle-school-ageand
high-school-agestudentscurrentlymake
zines andareamongthose setting
contemporarytrendsin zine designand
content.Althoughthe act of appropriating
imagesmaybe unfamiliarto manysenior
citizens,arteducatorscan devise ways
to orientolderadultsto this aesthetic
method.Certainlyzines are relevantto
documentingandsharingthe life review
process as well as addressingthe political
dimensionof growingold in today's
society.
Histtry o Zines
A loose-knitmulticulturalcoalition
of academicallyand non-academically
trainedartistsandwritersknownas
"zinesters"is flourishing.Zinesters,who
arebothyouthsandadults,createand
distributeimagesandtext commonly
referredto as "zines."Zinesmaylast only
one issue or runforyears.Pagesmay
rangefromless thanten to hundreds.
Theirformhas been comparedto
"somewherebetweena personalletter
anda magazine"(Duncombe,1997,p. 10).
Zinesarean amalgamof originaland
appropriatedimagesandtext froma
varietyof sources includingconic books,
Z,,o]t
.I
posters,albumcovers,graffiti,tagging,
thrasher[skateboard]art,tattooflash,
television,andthe historyof "fineart"and
literature.Zinesterscombineiconography
andtext to createpublicationsthatcan be
chaotic,disturbing,uncomfortable,
sensual,complex,loud,confrontive,and
often a social critiqueof contemporary
life. Genderroles,religion,familial
relationships,politics,sexual orientation,
the environment,academicdisciplines,
the arts,class structure,ethnicity,
generationaldifferences,economics,and
pop cultureareamongthe manyissues
celebrated,skewered,deconstructed,
reconstructed,and illuminatedby
zinesters.
Zines,witha combinedestimated
readershipof 500,000to 750,000persons
(Duncombe,1997),areavailablethrough
mailorder,word-of-mouth,musicstores,
pubs,comic book stores, thrashershops,
independentbookstores,bodymodificationshops, politicalstorefronts,
alternativegalleries,andon the Internet
(e-zines).Assembledon kitchentables
anddesktopcomputers,zinesarea DiY
space forpublicdiscussionandthe
developmentof publicvalues.
MAY 2003
/ ART EDUCATION
i Hitorians of the zine tracethe
originationof the worditself to the
science fictionfanzinesthatarosein the
1930s.In 1930,the ScienceCorrespondence Clubfoundedan amateur
publicationin whichpeople couldpublish
storiesandrespondto science fiction.
TitledTheComet(laterCosmology),this
fanzinewas the precursorto those many
pop andmass cultureorientedzines that
arepublishedtoday.
Whilethe wordzine, andsome types
of zines,aretraceableto the fanzinesof
the 1930s,we believethe impetusforthe
manytypes of sociologicallyandpoliticallyorientedzinesthatarepublished
todaycan be tracedto 17th-century
Britainandthe pervasivenessof
pamphletspromotingmoralandpolitical
pointsof view.Aroundsuch pamphlets,
as is truefor zinestoday,communities
of like-mindedpeople wouldformas
readers,contributors,or creatorsof new
pamphlets.Duringthis period,pamphlets
consistedof a few sheets of paper,folded
to formpages,sometimesstitched
togetherandsold for the equivalentof
a few cents (Bricklin,2002).Such
pamphletswere crucialto the American
Revolution,the emancipationof slaves,
women'ssuffrage,the labormovement,
andthe civilrightsmovement.Probably
the most famouspamphletin U.S.history
is ThomasPaine'sCommonSense
publishedin 1776.Likecontemporary
zines,pamphletstendedto contain
materialnot availablefromthe
mainstreampress.
Duringthe late 1960sandearly1970s,
the popularandmasscultureorientation
of zinesmergedwiththe politicalorientation of pamphlets.Atthis time,young
peopleproducedtens of thousandsof
zinesthatcommentedon the social
revolutionassociatedwiththe period,the
artsthataccompaniedthis revolutionand
the VietnamWarthat,in part,fueledit. It
was also during'60sand '70sthatvisual
artistsbeganto explorethe book as a
creativeformas well as mailart.Bothof
these explorationswouldaddto the
visualandstructuralrhetoricthatwould
become associatedwith zines. Creative
aspects includea typographicalplayfulness anduniquebindingtechniques.
ART
EDUCATION / MAY 2003
_
Theseinfluenceswouldfuse in the late
1970sin the zines associatedwithpunk
rockbothin the UnitedStatesandBritain.
Punkrockerstodaycontinueto borrow
heavilyfromthe visualrhetoricassociatedwiththis period,andtheirzines,like
manyof theirpredecessors,tendto have
highlypoliticalcontentthatpromotesa
DiYlifestyle.
Zineshavecontinuedto flourishsince
the 1970s.Thisis due,in part,to the
convenienceandavailabilityof quickcopy technologies.Duringthe 1990s,the
politicalorientationof zines expandedto
includefeministperspectivesthroughthe
At
impetusof groupslike the riotgrrrls.2
the sametime,cyberpunkzines emerged
alongwith zines createdwith desktop
publishingprograms.Zinesalso beganto
on disks,and
be distributedon the WWW,
on CD-ROMs.
Todaythe creation,appreciation,and
understandingof zines has become so
widespreadthatcenters,such as the
IndependentPublishingResourceCenter
(IPRC)in Portland,Oregon,havebeen
foundedto cultivatethe next generation
of zinesters.Inaddition,zines arebeing
archivedin mainstreamlibrariesas well
as specializedlibrariesdevotedto the
form.Thereare even zine symposia.
- ,Ste44nt 4kk,t1
Creating,distributing,reading,and
critiquingzines assists studentsin understandingthe myriadandconflicting
concepts associatedwiththe inherent
complexities,discontinuities,andcontradictionsassociatedwithpostmodernism
zinestersandzines
andart.Contemporary
epitomizea postmodernistpoint of view.
Zinesterstake delightin smashingboundariesbetweenso-calledhighandlow or
popularformsof artandculture.Zinesare
writtenandillustratedthroughpastiche,
parody,irony,andbricolage.Fragmentationanddiscontinuityarethe norm.
Narrativesandauthorshipcan be
ambiguous,simultaneous,self-conscious,
or anonymous.Forexample,Christopher
Arnold'szinejuxtaposesmodernistand
postmodernapproachesto art.(See
Figures1-6.)He quicklyandcreatively
presentswhathe understandsto be the
differencesin the two theoretical
approaches.KaiAndersen'szine TheNeoModernistAwakeningskewersthe hype
andself-promotionwithinthe fine art
world.Thecoverof Andersen'szine
displaysnumerousquotedsuperlatives
aboutthe interiorimages.Turningback
the coverrevealsthatthe interiorpages
areblank.(See Figure7.) Spiderwebs!by
fouranonymouszinestersorganizedby
MattHellerconsists of collagedimages
andtext with adhesivelettersthathave
togetherbeen tornandscratched.
Spiderwebs!is boundwith a piece of
transparentpackingtape.(See Figure8.)
Studentscan be encouragedto create
zinesthatincorporateandcritiquethe
historyof humankind'sattemptto
packageinformationfroma postmodernistperspective.Whilemanyzines are
constructedusingthe traditionalWestern
codex book form,numerouszinesters
preferto protecttheirzinesandattract
readersthroughaccordion-foldzines,and
scrolls,as well as zines thatlook like fans
or venetianblinds.Forexample,Free
Tibetis a scrollwrappedin a Tibetan
prayerflag.(See Figure9.) Somezines
come in a box or a bag.Instant
Gratificationby JenniferEvansconsists
of 20 individualsheets of paperlisting
variousformsof addictioncontainedin a
cigarettehardpack. (See Figure10.)
Whilemost hardcopyzines aremadefrom
paper,fabricandorganicmaterialis not
uncommon.Werecentlysaw an example
of a zine containedin a seashell.
Zinesalso critiqueconsumerismand
the relationshipof artto ourbuying
sprees.Exploringthe malegazeas an
approachthatobjectifieswomanlike a
product,MarjorieGrayjuxtaposesartto
ourperspectiveof femalebeauty.(See
Figures11-13.)Takinga different
approach,Elise Roedenbeckinventsan
artmartwhereartistsandeverydayitems
meld.(See Figures14-16.)DanBeyer
produceda one-pagezine with attached
corkcoasterto promotehis DiYmusic
productionanddistribution.
(See Figure17.)
"A TRUE MASTERPIECE."
MfOMA
"IT BROUGHT ME TO TEARS."
PASSION
AND MASTERY."
Awakening
The
Neo-Moernlst
KAI ANDERSEN
"THE CLIMAX OF OUR TIME."
Tra MtT
"T
H"THE
SUBTLETY IS OVERWHELMING."
G.C--M,.M
*TM[
"WORDS ARE INSUFFICIENT,
YOU MUST EXPERIENCE Tr FOR YOURSELF."
FNY
7z
T,' MN4"AgI
8. Spiderwebs!,
Figure
zinebyMattHeller,
2002.
7. NeoModernist
zinebyKaiAndersen,
1998.
Figure
Awakening,
10. Instant
zinebyJennifer
Figure
Gratification,
Evans,2002.
9. FreeTibet,
zinebySamantha
Bates,2002.
Figure
11-13.TheMaleGaze,
Figures
zinebyMarjorie
2002.
Gray,
MAY2003 / ARTEDUCATION
14-16.ArtMart,
zinebyEliseRoedenbeck,
2002.
Figures
Zinesters,includingourstudents,revel
in the possibilitiesassociatedwiththe
traditionof turningpages. Some
will use page-turningas a way to reveal
order,while otherspromotedisorderand
discontinuitythroughmultiplestrategies.
Thisis accomplishedthroughthe use of
translucentpages,disjointednarratives,
pop-ups,zines withinzines,and
overwrittentext andimages,amongother
strategies.Forexample,MyMother's
Bodyby MollySheehyis a meditationon
herrelationshipto her mother'sbodyand
hermother'sstruggleswith a life threateningillness.Inthe centerfoldof the zine
is a pop up of hermotherwith arms
outstretchedillustratingher success in
fightingher illnessbutbearingthe scar of
her struggle.Fabricby anonymousis a 5"
x 4"zine sewn into a mauvepolyesterbag
of roughlythe same size. Toaccess the
zineyou mustfirstripopenthe bag.The
zineitselfposes a series of questionson
translucentpages overlayingimagesof
fabriccreations.MyScarsby Dan
Pritchettis a memoirtold through
sequentiallyscannedimagesof the scars
on the author'sbody (Figure18).Dutch
Babies also by DanPritchettis a 6-page
zinethatpairsthe recipefor Dutchbabies
with menacingimagesof cats andghouls.
Thepages of this 2"x3"zinewere soaked
in stronglyscented candlewax.
(See Figure19.)
ART EDUCATION / MAY 2003
Theinformationcontainedin zines is
communicatedthroughoriginaland/or
appropriatedtexts andimagesalone or in
variouscombinations.Studentscan use
text andimagesrandomlyor in reference
to one another.Imagesmaybe clustered
in groupsor series.Wordscanbe used as
pictures.Inthis way some studentsuse
zinesto explorethe changingnatureof
art.GinnySeibertrelatesthe workof
elephantsto JacksonPollock(see Figures
20-21),prefacingherzine withthe phrase,
"youhavethe right."AmberVotel
proposesherNew VisionManifesto.
(See illustrationson magazinecover.)
Here,she addressesapproachesto art
now open to the artist'sconsideration.
Votel,like manyotherzinesters,lifts
imagesfromthe mediawhile simultaneouslytakinga criticalstance. TheColony
by SarahGlassis a critiqueof media
conglomeratesandthe effect thatshe
believesthey havehad on popularmusic
andlive concerts.(See Figures22-23.)
Copyrightis an importantissue among
zinesters.Studentsconsiderthe ethics of
the impulseto appropriatefromcopyrightedmaterials,but also whethertheir
own zines shouldbe copyrightedor not.
Whilezines aretraditionallydevotedto
the free exchangeof ideas andinformation,some zinestersare as resistantas
mass marketpublishersto havingtheir
workappropriated.Thediscussionof
copyrightcan directlyaccess ongoing
debatescurrentlytakingplace around
copyrightandappropriation
among
artists,web-designers,publishers,andthe
generalpublic.Studentscan make
decisionsaboutwhethertheywantto
copyrighttheirown zines or hope that
theirmaterialwill be appropriated
just as
they mayhaveappropriatedfromothers.
17. MassProduction,
zineby
Figure
DanBeyer,2002.
2002.
18. MyScars,zinebyDanPritchett,
Figure
2002.
19. DutchBabies,zinebyDanPritchett,
Figure
I I
Zt~z
e -'$i~
S
.f_~e l~...
7C,i~
^?~
be
can
exploredin a zine.
Anytopic
Thehistoryof topics foundin zines is
vast. Duncombe(1997)proposesa zine
taxonomythat consists of fanzines
(science fiction,music,sports,
television,film,thriftstore shopping,
gardening,collecting,etc.), political
zines,personalidentityzines,personal
zines,zines thatdescribea cultural
context,networkzines,fringeculture
zines,religiouszines,vocationalzines,
healthzines,sex zines,travelzines,
comix,literaryzines,artzines,then all-the rest.
Owens(2002)proposesthatpriorto
makinga zine,questionsassociatedwith
focus, personalgain,audience,cost to
naturalenvironment,time commitment,
andbudgetneed to be considered.
Zinestersalso need to decideif they will
be the sole author/artistor if it will be a
groupeffort.Mostimportantlystudents
will wantto determinereasonssomeone
wouldwantto readtheirzine.It has been
ourexperiencethatit is rarelyhardfor a
studentto identifyan interestingtopic.
It is even less difficultfor themto makea
strongstatementin a creativemanner.
'~I1
UU a
ana
ot t1 IJU
"
v
^f<t
nav1_
C
b>ut I look like a Pollock.
.
.
Figures20-21.
Artis Not,
zinebyGinny
2002.
Seibert,
4
<
^
..
,
k.
C.f
/r-4
/
',*
_x~
!B
^
r
,
MAY 2003
N
/ ART EDUCATION
Topicsourstudentsuse vary.Some
studentsdealwithpersonalissues. For
example,RachelGrisstitles her zine,My
Name is RachelGriss and MyMotheris a
Lesbian.(See Figure24.) Donein
chapters,she uses familyphotographs,
artby lesbianphotographers,andsayings
by writerslike RitaMaeBrown.Other
zines focus on issues like the "discovery"
of Americaby Columbus.Appropriating
a children'scoloringbook, Brian
Baumgartenuses the computerto
manipulatethe imagesrewritinghistory
in a way not normallyseen in history
books. (See Figures25-27.)Jaclyn
Steinbergdealswith whatshe calls
"TheTaliban'sWaron Women,"which
incorporateschildren'sdrawings.(See
Figures28-30.)AndKristinPapamakes
issues surroundingmeat-eatingvisible.
(See Figures31-32.)AngelaMorrilldeals
with singleparentingandtryingto earna
college degreein OneTiredMamaand
FoodStamps,Motherhood,and the
Politics of Shame.(See Figure33.)
4t.strr6i4nt
eriti t6int,
24. MyNameis RachelGrissandMyMother
is a Lesbian,
Figure
zinebyRachelGriss,2001.
9zr4ding
Zines
,
nof
_ineS
embodyideas andassume
action.Oneof the primaryreasonsfor
authoringa zine is to providepeople with
the opportunityto read
it. Optionsinclude
givingit awayor selling
it for a few cents to a
couple of dollarsat
communityvenuessuch
as recordor bookstores.
Zinesarealso distrib|E ;^tt~
:
utedby mailorder,
L
while some zinesters
-^
tradewithother
... zinesters.Some
zinestersplace their
zines inside library
:
::
Ilil:2 14'9
Y
:Ii;:
i;~:;:
25-27.Columbus
Discovers
America
Figures
Book,ZinebyBrianBaui
2002.
Coloring
mgarten,
ART EDUCATION / MAY 2003
books or leave themon
buses for othersto find
andread.Zinesmadeas
class assignmentsare
often traded as part of
the course,or outsideof
the class requirements.
-:i-ii:i
:_i.ii :-::_,:_iiiii-i
;:ti
_
-
::
-:I
HAoTOOE COiVE
URA
iVEI i(A VOLUMiNOUS
B
i
St
Waron Women,zine by JaclynSteinberg,2002.
Figures28-30. TheTaliban's
NOT
SUITABLE
f'"
-""1
IEllilrWsi
Gradingzines,for us, is as unconventionalas the makingof zines. Weuse two
versionsof a zine-o-meterloosely based
on how musicandzinereviewsare
presentedin some fanzines.Theselected
versionis passed out alongwiththe
assignmentso thatstudentsknowhow
theirzines will be evaluated.Onezine-ometerhas icons thatreflectthe following
responses:painfullybad,mostlyfiller,
basic rock n roll,worthyourcash, and
trance/rave.Thesecond zine-o-meterhas
a ratingsystemfrom0-4,representing
responsesthatreflectthe qualityof the
text, images,content,creativity,andgut
response.Thenumberingsystemgoes
from"napkin"
to "getsby,""ok,"
and "wow."Thereis also
"recommend,"
roomfor a narrativedescriptionof the
zine. Studentsoftenuse the zine-o-meters
to evaluatetheirpeers'work.The
responsesregisteredon the zine-o-meters
formthe basis for in class critiques.This
evaluationsystemworkswell withthe
formof the zines.Intheirpostmoder
manner,they thumbtheirnose at the
establishmentandits tightlystructured
way of makingjudgments.Wehavenever
had a studentquestiongradesbased on
the zine-o-meter.Thissystemmirrorsthe
31-32.NotSuitable
for
Figures
zinebyKristen
Vegetarians,
Papa,2002.
andthe
33. FoodStamps,Motherhood,
Figure
2002.
Politicsof Shame,zinebyAngelaMorrill,
MAY 2003
N
/ ART EDUCATION
In our democratic society, students
must not only think about ideas but
debate and clarify their visions, and then
act responsibly on their ideas.
In our experience, creating zines has
become an effective way to accomplish
educating students towards participation
in a democracy.
fact that zines are routinely reviewed and
critiqued in alternative publications and
zine-oriented websites.3 When we
introduce students to zines, we also
assign zine reviews based on the form
that appears in these publications. Zine
reviews are as explosive and individualistic as zines. They are often shameless
in their advocacy or condemnation of a
particular zine. While grammar and
spelling is usually correct, the approach
to the use of language is very playful.
Kristin G. Congdon is a Professor of
Art and Philosophy at the University
of Central Florida, Orlando. E-mail:
kcongdon@pegasus. cc.ucf edu
Doug Blandy is a Professor at the
University of Oregon. He directs the
Arts and Administration Program and
Institutefor Community Arts Studies.
E-mail:
[email protected]
We are all living in a time where we are
bombarded with messages. Even the
expanse of the sky is now being used for
advertisements. Increasingly we are
becoming a nation of people who see and
hear in visual and audio segments. These
messages mix in our minds and form new
meanings. Zines are reflections of our
times. Postmodern art and culture often
asks students to be active, to participate,
and to engage in dialogue as opposed to
being passive receivers of expert
information. Students in a variety of
settings making zines will learn about
postmodern forms of communication as
they simultaneously engage in a participatory educational process that deviates
from linear and conventional ways of
learning about art and culture.
REFERENCES
Bricklin, D. (2002). Pamphleteers and
websites. [WWWdocument]. URLhttp://
www.bricklin.com
Diysearch. (2002). Diysearch. [WWW
document]. URLhttp://www.diysearch.com
/addurlfaq.cfm
Duncombe, S. (1997). Notesfrom the
underground: Zines and the politics of
alternative culture. New York:Verso.
Owens, A. P. (2002). How to make a zine.
[WWWdocument.].
URL http://www.zinebook.com/resource
/zinetips.html
NOTE
For more information or copies of zine-ometers contact Kristin Congdon at
[email protected] or Doug
Blandy at: [email protected].
FOOTNOTES
1DIYis a contemporary movement with historical links to the Arts and Crafts Movement,
both of which act to counter the effects of
industrialization. A DiY ethic promotes
freedom from the control and pervasiveness of
large national or multinational corporations.
Associated with DiY are independent
publishers (including zinesters), artists,
writers, philosophers, and activists.
2There is no consensus on the specific origins
of the riot grrrls;however, there is general
agreement that they are closely associated
with independent punk music and ideology.
Common to riot grrrls are men and women
dedicated to promoting sex equity. Zines are
one way in which this agenda is realized.
3See for example the magazine Punk Planet or
the e-zine Broken Pencil.
A:0
"Ifthere is an imperativefor
studies of the mass arts,it centers
aroundthis question:Ina society
so dependenton aesthetic imagery
as a meansto by-passcritical
thinking,who benefits most
if artisticskillsare widelydeployed
by a few, but inways not critically
fathomedby the many?"
H.Chapman,
Vol.44,No.3
Laura
m ART EDUCATION/
MAY2003
Visual Culture researchers are interested in the communicative and political role of art
and help us understand the contexts surrounding art so as to exercise control over the
visual information we confront. Here the approach is to seek understanding by
conducting research through art so as to determine the many functions and purposes
to which art can be put. Using visual forms as an agency to advance various social,
cultural, political, and educational ends has a long history, and the pervasive impact of
visual culture warrants critical study-as the authors in Studies so persuasively argue.
Graeme Sullivan, Editor. Spring 2003, Vol. 44, No. 3
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